Fuel-injection system



.Nov. 12, 1929. J LEA 1,735,439

J FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM Filed April 10, 1925 I}? L 314,130,141" 0: c1592 Lew 3513114 C] I 4W1,

Patented Nov. 12, 1929 A UNITED STATES JOHN m. TEA, or DETROIT, monies FUE -IN ECTION SYSTEM Application filed April 10, 1925. Serial No. 22,090.

I The invention relates to means for supplying liquid under pressure to a point of utilization and, while in some respects of more (2) The use of'electromagnetic devices to produce the pressure nece sary to force the liquid into the space to which it is to be sup- ,p

2o (3) The application of such devices to an engine cylinder so as to inject liquid fuel directly into the'cylinder and preferably into proximity to an igniting device, as a spark )lug 1 (4) The provision of a power means independent of the engine for such injection which automatically meet and overcome the pressure conditions in the engine and subject to the control of a timing means; 7 30 (5) The control of theelectromagnetlc devices by the engine itself in such manner as to supply current for producing the required pressure automatically to an injecting device for each cylinder at the precise time when fuel is to be injected; v

(6) The control of the current-supplying means in such manner as to enable the operator to predetermine at will both the time of actuation of the injecting means relatively to the phases or strokes of the engine and also the duration of the injection period whereby the quantity of fuel injected is affected;

(7 The control of-the air supply to the engine in such manner as to utilize the suction )1'od11ced thereby inthe cylinder for draw ing fuel through the injecting device for priming the latter and starting the engine;

(8) The provision of other control devices and accessories related'to the principal fea- 50 tures above mentioned.

(1) The provision of means adapted to in the combustion space.

The above and otherobjects and advantages will appear more fully from the following description taken in connection'with the accompanying drawings in which Fig.1 is a side elevation of an engine showing my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a nozzle;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44='of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of an injector;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 7 showing details of a circuit making andbreaking device;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the breaker assembly; I

And Fig.8 is adetail sectional view of a part of the injector mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber 11 including a cylindrical portion 11 in which operates a piston 12. Intake and exhaust manifolds 13, 14, are provided which communicate with the combustion space through the usual Valves, one of the intake valves, being shown at 15. Suitable igniting devices, as spark plugs 16, are mounted in proper position for igniting the mixture The engine is shown as having four cylinders and the fuel supply devices are accordingly illustrated as 80 "adapted to a ,four cylinder engine but it will be understood that the invention is applicable to any number of cylinders.

The engine illustrated includesa crank shaft 17 and cam shaft 18. The cam shaft 7 will be arranged to actuate the engine valves in the usual manner in accordace with which it will be rotated at half the crank shaft speed. These and other details of the engine, except as hereinafter described, may be 9 commonly employed as throttle valves in conventional throttle-controlled engines, and

serves inconnection with the present invention to restrict flow of air to the combustion chambers of the engine in order to produce therein a sub atmospheric pressure whereby fuel may be drawn into the combustion chamberscunder certain conditions, as hereinafter ex lained.

iquid fuel is supplied directly to each combustion chamber of the engine by a magnetically actuated injecting device whichserves to .exert pressure upon the fuel contained in a passage leading to a. spray nozzle. This nozzle may be of any usual or suitable character but is shown as comprisinga vice'whatever may be the condition elsewhere in the combustion chamber. The nozzle may be secured by engagement of screw threads 23 with a screw-threaded aperture in the enthe inner end of cap 33. Liquid is gine wall. A supply tube 24 has its tip 25 secured to the outer end of the casing-22 by a screw cap 26. In theinner end of the casing is an aperture 27 within which is positioned a cylindrical projection 28. on the end of a trian ular plug 29. When liquid is supplied un er pressure to the casin it flows past the plug 29 and is sprayed into the air through the narrow annular aperture around-the projection 28.

The means for applying the pressure to the liquid supplied through the tube 24, shown in detail in Fig. 5, comprises a pumping device which is magnetically actuated and is preferabl -.of the 'ellows type. The pumping cham r 30 is formed in part in the fit ting 31 and in part in'the metallic bellows member 32,1the latter being capable of-ex-.

pansion and contraction to cause alternate periods of suction and pressure in the chamber. The tube 24 is secured to the upper end of fitting 31, as by screw ca 33, and communicates with pressure cham er 30. This communication is controlled by valve 34 seating on the inwardly flanged end of a cylinder 35 and pressed to its seat by a coiled spring 36 positioned between the valve and su plied to the pumping chamber through a littoral I bore-37 to which is fitted a pipe connection 38. Communication betweenthe bore, 37 and chamber 30 is controlled by a valve 39 similar to valve 34, and seating onvthe' inwardly flanged end of cylinder 40. A ring 41, positioned between the valve and plug 42, exerts pressure. tending to seat the -valve.

The bellows member 32 maybe formed of a series of sections 43, 44, of sheet metal fitted together as shown in Fig. 8 and soldered or otherwise'secured. The upper section is fixed referably positioned.

8. Screw.

to the tubular head 15 which is screwed into the lower end of fitting 31. The lower section is fixed. to the head 46 which carries a pin 47 having a shoulder 48 adapted to serve as an abutment to receive the .thrust of" an armature 49- whereby-pressure ay be exerted to cause contraction of t e bellows.

Means is provided to move vthe bellows in the. opposite direction to cause expansion thereof, this means being preferably constltuted by the bellows itself which may be given an initial set, in suchposition that its inherent resilience tends to oppose the movement of the armature.

The armature 49 is pi-votally supported at one end by balls50, 51, seated in shallow depressions inthe lower and. upper faces re spectively of the armature and resting against opposing faces of; a channeled ring 52. The pivotal movement of the armature away from the magnet islimited by engagement of its free end .witha suitable abutment, as with an adjustable stop 53.011 the outer flange-of the ring. I

The armature is positioned adjacent to the lower endof core 54 whichmay be supported by screw thread engagement with the fitting 31. The core is surroul'rded by two windings, the inner one, 55, being connected at one end to conductor 56 through post 57.

The other end may be grounded on the machine frame. The outer coil 58 is a secondend and insulated base plate 60 at-the other,

the latter servin also as a support for the ring 52. Suitab e enclosing means is provided including the cup 61, clamped between the coil 54" and fitting 31, and a cover 62 screwed over the lowerend of the cup, the

cupand cover being preferably of magnetic material so as to provide an exterior magnetic circuit for the coil.

The supply of current to coil 54 to eflect thereby the movement of armature 49 and the contraction of bellows 32 is controlled by a circuit making and breaking device shown in detail in Figs.'6 and 7. It includes a spindle 65 arranged to be driven in synchronism -'with.the engine preferably by actuation bysomemoving part of the engine itself. 'As shown-the lower end of the spindle extends into the crank case and is provided with a screwgear 66 meshing with a screw gear 67 on the shaft 18 which is driven by the cam shaft 18, the transmission ratios being such that the spindle is:rotated at the proper speed to close the circuit to the coil 55 once'for each cycle of operation of the'engine. In a four cycle engine, as illustrated, the fuel injection, of course, will occur once for each two revolutions of the crank shaft and hence the spindle should rotate at one half the crank shaft speed. 7 4

The upper end of the spindle is beveled on one side, the flattened surface extending four of these contact members. The contact members are pivotally supported at 71 upon a conducting ring 72'which is insulated from the casing 69 by a washer 73. A binding post 7 4 connects the ring 7 2'to a conductor 75 leading to a suitable source of current, as the battery 76, (Fig. 1).. The outer ends of contact members 70 carry contacts 77 adapted to engage with contacts 78 supported upon the insulating-cap 79 and connected to the several leads 56 extending to the injector or pump 001 s.

At its inner end each contact member 70 carries a non-conducting button or contactor 80 in such position as to engage the periphery of the cam spindle '65, and suitable springs 81 are arranged to maintain the contactors in engagement with the spindle. The dimensions are such that when the contactor enthe contactor engages.

In order to vary the time of engagement bet-ween contactor and cam, means is provided for adjusting the relative positions of the spindle and the contactors longitudinally a of the spindle. By way of illustration I have shown an elbow-lever 82 having one arm pivotally connected to a ring 83, fitting in an exterior circumferential groove in the caslngv 69, and having the other arm connected to an actuating rod 8& extending to any convenient location for manipulation by the attendant or operator. By actuation of the rod 84 the casing 69 may be raised or lowered thus varying the extent of cam surface 68 with which the contactors engage'and correspondingly varying the duration of engagement of the contacts and of the application of pressure to thebellows 32 by the armature 49.

Means is also provided forvarying the I time when the contacts engage relatively to the phase of operation of the actuating'means'. 'This may be accomplished by varyin the relative angular positions of the cam an contactors and, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises a sleeve 85 surrounding the spindle 65 and rotatable relatively thereto. Sliding connection is provided, as by key 86,be-

tween the sleeve 85 and casing 69 so that the casing will be rotated with the sleeve but may be adjusted longitudinally on the sleeve as before explained. The sleeve 85 may be angularly adjusted in any suitable manner, as by the provision of a screw gear 87 on the sleeve meshing withthe" screw pinion 88' mounted on bracket 89 and operable by a shaft 90, (Fig. 1), extending to a convenient loca- 'tion for manipulation; It will be obvious that, by angular adjustment of the sleeve 85 pair of contacts independently of the others.

Thus the contact 77 is shown as supported upon a screw, adjustable relatively to the contact support70.

When the injection apparatus is employed in connection with a multicylinder engine, as shown, the pump members 31 for the several cylinders may be connected by the pipe fittings 38 to a common supply pipe 91 leading from a reservoir 92, whlch, if the apparatus be a part of the power plant of an automobile, will ordinarily be located at the rear end of the vehicle. A filter 93 and a pump 94 may be inserted in the supply line if desired. The pump may be of any type adapted tosupply liquid at constant pressure, as, for example, such as is shown in my Patent No. 1,570,381. By the use of such a pump the pipes and several pumping chambers of the injectors may be filled with liquid independently of the operationof the injector magnets, and thus the priming or starting operation may be facilitated. If the pump be employed, it may be necessary, of course, to select for the valve in the direction of the engine, the air may be removed from the pipes and the passages may be filled with-liquid by utilizing the suction of the engine, the valve 20 being suitably .po

sitioned to restrict flow of air to the cylinders through the intake manifold. 1 After the engine has been started thus, operating with fuel taken in by suction, and the injectors become filled with liquid, they, will begin to 0 erate to force liquid into the combustion chambers at the time determined by the breaker adjustment. Then the valve 20 may be partially or fully opened and fuller charges of air will be taken in at each intake stroke. The power developed uponthe explosion stroke will va fuelinjected, i. e., wit the duration of the injector action. Thus the adjustment-of the casing 69 longitudinally of the spindle 65 will correspond with the usual operation of the accelerator in the throttle-controlled engine. I Furthermore, bythe angular adj ustment of the breakers the injection may be made to'take. place at any desired iston-posi- *tlOIlQlthGI on the intake stroke, t us operating upon the usual Otto cycle, or during the compression'stroke, thus ap roaching more nearly operation upon the Diesel cycle.

Since the intake'of air can be'controlled the air-supply limiting means, such as the valve 20, and the fuel supply can also be controlled as desired, it is possible to determine at will both the quantity and the qualit of the charge. The valve spring 36 should: of course, be selected of such strength as not to permit too great flow, ifany, of fuel during the induction strokeof the engine. By suit ably controlling the quantity of air admitted and independently controlling the quantity of. fuel injected thereinto the operator is therefore enabled to obtain, as desired,'proper mixture for idling or low power conditions as well as to secure the proper amount of charge for the desired power output".

- It will be noted that, by the means described, the pressure necessar to in ect the liquid into the combustion c amber of the engine is applied to the liquid in the pressure chamber with minimum movement of the pumping mechanism, i. e., of the armature and bellows, and that the inertia of the moving parts is correspondingly low. Furthermore-the moving parts may be made much lighter than would be possible with other types of pressure producing means. It will be noted also that the application of pressure and the release of pressure occur practically instantaneously upon the making and breaking .of the magnet circuit, thus permitting very exact control both of thetimingand of the duration of the application of pressure.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the details of apparatus employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and therefore I do not with the quantity ofengine. I

3. Structure as set for in claim 2, the varywish to be restricted to the features herein described except as requlred by the language of the appended claims'in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. An internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber, electromagnetically for varying the relation of the supply 6f current thereby to the phase'of operation of the ing means comprising a cam having successively varying cam surfaces and means, for I shifting the circuit maker and breaker rela- 'tively to said cam. Q

An internal combustionengine having aplurality of cylinders, a liquid fuel pump device for each cylinder; electromagnetic means for actuating each device, and means for controlling supply of current td'said electromagnetic means comprising a circuit maker and breaker having a pair of contacts for each of said devices. i I

5. Structure as set forth inclaim 4, the pairs of contacts being individually adjustable to a determine the time of engagement. 1

6. Structure as set forth in claim 4, the contact's'being arranged in air 'annular series and actuated by a central cam.

7. Structure as set forth in claim 4, the contacts being arranged in an annular series actuated bya central cam and being shiftable angularly about the cam.

8. Structure as set forth in claim 4, means being provided to vary the duration ofthe period of engagement of the contacts.

being provided to vary the duration of the period of engagement of the contacts, said 1 means com-prising a tapered cam, the contacts being arranged to be actuated thereby and L to be shifted axially of the. cam.

10. A liquid injecting device comprising a vpressure chamber having inlet and oulet passages and valves therefor, bellows communicating with said chamber, an armature connected to said bellows, and a coil surroundingsaid bellows and arranged to actuate the armature in a direction to contract the bellows.

11 Structure as set forth claim 10, the

9. Structure as set forthin claim 4,'means coil being provided with a short-circuited secondary coil. 4

12. An internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber, a passage adapted to supply liquid to said chamber,.electromagnetic means for exerting pressure upon the liquid in said passage, and means the operation of which is synchronized with the engine movement for controlling flow of current to said electromagnetic means and for effecting injection of the fuel into said chamber by the action of said electromagnetic means, the current-controlling means comprising a circuit maker and breaker and means for varying the time of actuation of the circuit maker and breaker relatively to the movement of the driving means.

13. An internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber, a passage adapted to supply liquid fuel to said chamber, electromagnetic means for exerting pressure upon the liquid in said passage, and means the operation of which is synchronized with the engine movement for controlling flow of current to said electromagnetic means and for elfecting injectionof the fuel into said chamber by the action of said electromagnetic means, the current-controlling means comprising means for varying the duration of the period of supply of current to the electromagnetic means.

14. The combination with a pressure chamber to which liquid is to be delivered of means for supplying liquid thereto comprising an e ectromagnetic coil having a hollow core in the interior thereof, a bellows communicating with said chamber and positioned in said hollow core, and an armature for said coil connected to one end of said bellows to actuate the bellows by movement of the armature.

15. The combination with a fitting having a chamber to which liquid is to be delivered under pressure of a bellows communicating with said chamber and supported at one end upon said fitting, an electromagnetic coil surrounding said bellows and supported upon said fitting, and an armature for said coil connected to the free end of said bellows.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

JOHN M. LEA. 

